I was going to post this yesterday, but then my power and internet got knocked out because of the heat wave…

It's sort of a tradition for me to write some long update post in the last few weeks before I release a new game. This post was originally going to be a lot longer, but I don't want to bore you all with another yapping session. So I am writing a shorter, more convenient list of all the important stuff about the game that I wanted to convey:

1. I am trying to get the game out before the end of this month, but I make no promises that that will happen!

2. I experienced some more setbacks these past two months: I had family staying with me, and there was loud construction work happening outside my house. However, those are kind of just excuses and it's mostly because I have some executive dysfunction problems or some shit IDK. (sorry, I'm trying to get better)

3. This game is really long and difficult! I've said this before, but it bears repeating. Expect to die a lot and be prepared for some stages to take over fifteen minutes to complete! I feel like many players would probably give up an hour or two in, and I don't want to feel like everything I made was for nothing. For that reason, I'm making the game's level select screen accessible after completing the prologue. It was originally meant to be unlocked after beating the whole game, but I want more people to be able to experience all the levels that I designed.

4. Despite being the main character, Alan is probably the least fun to play as. Each character gets their own unique set of levels, and Alan's were designed first. Naius and Reraph are more fun to play as, in my opinion. They have cooler abilities than Alan, and their levels are better designed, primarily because their levels were made more recently and I got better with level design over time.

5. I ended up deciding to cut some corners in the final version. This might sound bad, but it's for the best. My goals for this project were very unrealistic. All the levels are complete, but a lot of what I originally had planned for the story will not make the cut.

6. This game might be a little cringe at a few parts. In previous games, I would use irony or self-deprecation to deflect from criticism. This time, however, I'm actually trying to be more sincere with what I made.

7. Keys to Eclipse took a really long time to make for several reasons: The game is massive and overambitious, I had to redesign the characters multiple times, I took a break from it to work on other stuff, and I've been depressed and miserable for the past few years (some of the game's story actually reflects that)

8. I made a soundtrack for this game because I didn't like that I was relying on other people's music so much. So I decided to try and get into making my own music. I know the soundtrack isn't good, but what matters is that I can call it mine.

9. With only a couple more weeks of work left on this game, I feel pretty sad and kind of regret how much time I sank into this project that not many people will be interested in. I'm asking myself if it was worth it to dedicate almost three years to this silly game. However, I think that once I release it, I will be a lot happier as a heavy burden will at long last be lifted. I'm excited to finally get back to working on other stuff! If I ever attempt to make something like this again, it probably won't be anywhere near as large as this was. I DO NOT want to go through something like this again...

While I'm at it, have some more screenshots...

That's pretty much all I had to say. See you all very soon...